Crvena Zvezda and Monaco square off in their opening fixture in Group H of the UEFA Europa League with both sides looking to rediscover their best form. Both teams have found things difficult lately and look evenly matched heading into Thursday’s clash.
Crvena Zvezda are into the group stage of the Europa League after suffering a 5-4 aggregate defeat to Maccabi Haifa in the UEFA Champions League playoffs. Their recent foray into the Europe’s second tier competing has yielded little joy as they crashed out in the round of 16 last season.
The Serbian champions do not head into Thursday’s Group H opener in the best form having claimed just one win from their last five matches across all competitions. They have drawn their last two fixtures and were held 1-1 by Backa Topola in a Super Liga fixture last Sunday.
Crvena Zvezda are on an eight-match unbeaten run at home, although things have not been particularly smooth in recent weeks. The result against Backa Topola was the second draw in three matches for Milos Milojevic’s men.
Monaco are enduring a difficult start to the campaign having earned just two wins across all competitions this season. Having finished third last season in Ligue 1, they have struggled to rediscover that form and are currently 10th on the table.
The French side appear to be carrying their domestic struggles into the continent and their European adventure has been far from ideal so far. Philippe Clement’s men crashed out early in the Champions League qualifiers and will be looking for a fresh start in the Europa League.
Monaco got something to cheer about in their last Ligue 1 fixture as they claimed a 1-0 victory at Nice. Breel Embolo’s effort midway through the second half proved to be the difference and they will be looking to build on that performance.
How the bookies view it
Monaco have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 21/17 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Crvena Zvezda is valued at 12/5 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 27/10 by Unibet.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Crvena Zvezda and Monaco.
Players to watch
Osman Bukari has been one of the standout players for Crvena Zvezda this session and heads into Thursday’s clash with six goals in his last eight matches across all competitions. BetVictor has the attacker at 7/2 to get on the score sheet.
Breel Embolo has been one of the livelier attackers for Monaco this season and will be looking to build on his goal at Nice. The attacker is priced at 23/10 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have had a few late showings this season and could be backed to score in the second half at 2/1 with William Hill. The second half could also be tipped to produce the most goals at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
The goals market could also be considered on Thursday with over 3.5 goals valued at 19/10 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/5 with Sport Nation.
This UEFA Europa League match between Crvena Zvezda and Monaco will be played on Sep 8, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Crvena Zvezda vs Monaco prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
